Scottish Executive

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26711 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 July 2002, what the cost of commissioning and obtaining the Direct Air Services Action Plan was; who commissioned the report, and how any routes proposed in the report would be funded.

Lewis Macdonald: Scottish Enterprise commissioned the Direct Air Services Action Plan at a cost of £50,000. The plan, which was completed in January 2000, was developed to analyse the viability of, and identify opportunities for, new routes to/from Scotland. The information was made available to airlines and airport operators. It is for the Executive’s agencies (Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland) to decide how best any available funding can be deployed for the greatest benefit of the Scottish economy and tourism.

Arts

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who the members of the Music Industry Forum are.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Music Industry Forum will meet and whether copies of its minutes will be made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what process was used to determine which sections of the music industry would be approached to participate in the Music Industry Forum.

Mike Watson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27155 on 22 July 2002.

Cancer

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the doubling of the incidence of testicular cancer in the last 20 years.

Malcolm Chisholm: Testicular cancer is one of the most curable of cancers, even if it is at an advanced stage at diagnosis, and effective platinum-based chemotherapy has been widely available for nearly 20 years. Although cancer of the testis was one of the most common forms of malignancy in men aged 15-34 between 1989 and 1998, it accounted for less than 2% of all male cancers.

  Due to improvements in treatment, with dose intensification and the development of new drugs, the outlook should improve for the small proportion of patients with poor prognostic disease, although this will not have a huge effect overall on this disease as the results are already very good.

  Therefore, although the incidence is rising in most countries in the western world (there are many theories – trauma, vasectomy, infective causes such as mumps, more fat in diet, more oestrogens in agricultural residues) the death rate is low and falling.

  The projected trends for testicular cancer suggest a continued increase in incidence to a level over 10 per 100,000 by 2010, with a small decrease in mortality.

Children's Hearings

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any policy within the children’s hearings system in respect of cases not being brought to a panel hearing because the means of disposal, such as secure accommodation or fostering provision, is not available.

Cathy Jamieson: The Principal Reporter will refer to a children’s hearing any child considered to be in need of compulsory measures of care. The decision is not influenced by availability of resources available to local authorities to implement disposals from a hearing. Children’s hearings make decisions based on the best interests of the child.

Courts

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on the refurbishment of Jedburgh Sheriff Court in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that it is not possible to provide a separate figure for refurbishment since some of the general maintenance expenditure on the court can include an element of refurbishment. The total spent on the maintenance and refurbishment of Jedburgh Sheriff Court in each of the last five years is set out in the following table. The expenditure in 2001-02 included a general redecoration of the court and provision of a new fire detection system.

  Jedburgh Sheriff Court Maintenance and Refurbishment Expenditure

  


1997-98 
  

1998-99 
  

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  



£3,800 
  

£28,700 
  

£18,739 
  

£14,600 
  

£161,985

Courts

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the council offices at Rosetta Road, Peebles, would provide suitable alternative accommodation for a sheriff courthouse.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that the council offices at Rosetta Road do not at present have sufficient available ancillary accommodation suitable for the sheriff, procurator fiscal, solicitors, witnesses and to hold prisoners in custody for it to be used as a sheriff courthouse.

Courts

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected population is of the Peebles area for each of the next 10 years and whether such projections were taken into account when considering renovation or new build of the Peebles courthouse.

Mr Jim Wallace: Population projections for areas smaller than council areas are not available. The latest, 2000 based, population projections up to the year 2016 for council areas within Scotland is published by the Registrar General in Table 1 of the booklet Population Projections, Scotland (2000 based) . A copy of the booklet is available in the Parliament’s Information Centre. This publication predicts a consistently decreasing population size for the Borders after 2003.

  Information on population trends was considered by the Scottish Court Service when examining the case for renovating Peebles Courthouse, but it was concluded did not materially affect the viability of Peebles Sheriff Courthouse.

Courts

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what figures it holds on additional costs to the public purse of implementing each of its proposals for court business in Peebles.

Mr Jim Wallace: The consultation exercise by the Scottish Court Service on the alternative proposals for the delivery of court business in Peebles will provide an opportunity for any additional costs or savings to be identified. At present, while it is recognised that there may be a small increase in some costs due to the increased travel, for example for witness expenses, it is not anticipated that there will be significant additional costs to the public purse given the low level of business currently undertaken at Peebles.

  Should any additional costs be identified these would have to be weighed against the potential savings to the Scottish Court Service and the substantial cost required to upgrade the court.

Courts

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has identified any issues in respect of there being no practitioner of civil legal aid in Peebles.

Mr Jim Wallace: Ministers have no powers to direct that private solicitors undertake legal aid work; this is a commercial decision by solicitors. I understand that a legal aid practitioner in Peebles, which undertook 15 cases in 2000-01, has decided not to undertake new civil legal aid cases. There are, however, two firms of solicitors who provide civil legal aid in Galashiels and a further two firms in Selkirk.

  The provision of legal advice and representation in rural areas is a priority area for pilot work as part of the Review of Legal Information and Advice Provision in Scotland.

Courts

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which sheriff courthouses have had renovation work carried out on them since May 1999 and what the cost has been of such works.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that the sheriff courthouses which have been the subject of substantial renovation works since May 1999 and the cost spent on each is as follows:

  


Arbroath 
  

£1.7 million 
  



Ayr 
  

£10.7 million 
  



Peterhead 
  

£2.7 million 
  



Stirling 
  

£1.6 million 
  



  Work is currently under way or about to commence at Dumbarton and Lanark Sheriff Courts.

Courts

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any sheriff courthouses have been built since May 1999 and what the cost of any such developments has been.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that no new sheriff courthouses have been built since May 1999, but a number have been extensively refurbished.

Crime Prevention

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12351 by Iain Gray on 23 January 2001, how many closed circuit television (CCTV) schemes are currently operating; how many of these have been evaluated, and how many of these evaluations show (a) an increase and (b) a decrease in crime in the area covered and nearby areas.

Dr Richard Simpson: Figures are held only for the public space closed circuit television (CCTV) projects funded through the ‘Make Our Communities Safer’ Challenge Competition. Grant is conditional on the submission of a report of the effectiveness of the system not later than 18 months after it becomes operational. Of the 161 projects part-funded through the competition, 127 have submitted completion certificates. To date, 60 of these have provided independent evaluation reports, with 40 recording a decrease in crime in the CCTV area and two showing an increase. The remaining 18 do not include crime statistics but all report that CCTV has made a positive contribution to the well-being and safety of the areas in which it is deployed. It is proposed to evaluate the new arrangements for funding community safety partnerships introduced on 1 April, which supersedes challenge competition funding, and to include a review of the effectiveness of CCTV and other community safety initiatives funded by the Executive.

Europe

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representation it will have at ministerial and official level at the EU Employment and Social Policy Council on 8 October 2002.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27162.

Genetically Modified Crops

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the Food Standard Agency is doing to ensure that consumers and stakeholders are fully informed on all matters associated with GM crop trials and GM food.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: I am advised that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is active in communicating with consumers and stakeholders on matters concerning GM foods. The FSA website contains detailed information about GM foods, including how GM foods are assessed for safety and explaining the current labelling rules for GM foods. A factsheet has also been produced to provide comprehensive background information on GM foods.

  The FSA is also exploring ways of further involving the public in issues relating to GM foods. It has held two meetings, including one in Scotland, with interested parties to discuss European Commission proposals concerning the traceability and labelling of GMOs and GM food and animal feed. Interested parties will be updated as negotiations progress.

  I am also advised that, as the FSA does not regulate GM crop trials and that material from these trials is not harvested for use in the food or feed chain, the FSA does not have a role in informing consumers or stakeholders about these matters. This would be a matter for SEERAD.

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many summary complaints have been dealt with at (a) Lochmaddy, (b) Tain, (c) Dingwall, and (d) Portree sheriff courts, whether proceeding to trial or otherwise, in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information provided by the Scottish Court Service for the number of summary complaints dealt with at each of the courts requested is set out in the following table:

  Sheriff Court – Summary Criminal

  

 

1990-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  

April-June
2002 
  



Summary Complaints Registered 
  



Lochmaddy 
  

 89 
  

 99 
  

 87 
  

 17 
  



Tain 
  

557 
  

497 
  

618 
  

157 
  



Dingwall 
  

513 
  

435 
  

471 
  

129 
  



Portree 
  

 50 
  

 90 
  

 77 
  

 18 
  



Summary Complaints Concluded 
  



Lochmaddy 
  

 98 
  

 90 
  

 84 
  

 15 
  



Tain 
  

542 
  

485 
  

585 
  

151 
  



Dingwall 
  

441 
  

464 
  

462 
  

113 
  



Portree 
  

 58 
  

 73 
  

 83 
  

 18 
  



Summary Trials Evidence Led 
  



Lochmaddy 
  

 4 
  

 4 
  

 8 
  

 5 
  



Tain 
  

41 
  

31 
  

26 
  

 7 
  



Dingwall 
  

27 
  

17 
  

28 
  

12 
  



Portree 
  

 7 
  

 8 
  

 6 
  

 2

Justice

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil cases have been initiated at (a) Lochmaddy, (b) Tain, (c) Dingwall, (d) Portree and (e) Peebles sheriff courts in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03, broken down by type of case.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information provided by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service for each of the courts is set out in the following table:

  Sheriff Court Civil

  

 

1999-2000 
  

2000-01 
  

2001-02 
  

April-June
2002 
  



Ordinary Actions 
  



Lochmaddy 
  

 37 
  

 43 
  

 30 
  

 6 
  



Tain 
  

119 
  

150 
  

148 
  

 36 
  



Dingwall 
  

243 
  

229 
  

214 
  

 51 
  



Portree 
  

 89 
  

 86 
  

 70 
  

 19 
  



Peebles 
  

115 
  

118 
  

111 
  

 34 
  



Summary Cause 
  



Lochmaddy 
  

 10 
  

 14 
  

 11 
  

 2 
  



Tain 
  

175 
  

188 
  

126 
  

 8 
  



Dingwall 
  

109 
  

 99 
  

119 
  

 22 
  



Portree 
  

 45 
  

 39 
  

 43 
  

 3 
  



Peebles 
  

 58 
  

109 
  

 84 
  

 18 
  



Small Claims 
  



Lochmaddy 
  

 47 
  

 23 
  

 26 
  

 1 
  



Tain 
  

283 
  

148 
  

120 
  

 17 
  



Dingwall 
  

258 
  

171 
  

163 
  

 30 
  



Portree 
  

100 
  

 59 
  

 45 
  

 14 
  



Peebles 
  

109 
  

 93 
  

 86 
  

 23 
  



Total 
  



Lochmaddy 
  

 94 
  

 80 
  

 67 
  

 9 
  



Tain 
  

577 
  

486 
  

394 
  

 61 
  



Dingwall 
  

610 
  

499 
  

496 
  

103 
  



Portree 
  

234 
  

184 
  

158 
  

 36 
  



Peebles 
  

282 
  

320 
  

281 
  

 75

Local Government

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to require local authority councillors to declare all outside earnings and interests and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Mr Andy Kerr: A statutory Code of Conduct for Councillors will come into effect later this year. The code sets out the financial and non-financial interests which must be registered and declared by councillors. The code was prepared by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, at the request of Scottish ministers, as part of the framework introduced by the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc (Scotland) Act 2000 and was approved by the Scottish Parliament in December last year together with a model Code of Conduct for members of devolved public bodies.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to support GPs in caring for the over 30% of patient contacts with mental health problems.

Malcolm Chisholm: Primary care teams and local health care co-operatives have an important role in developing systems to deliver national and local standards in mental health in primary care. A number of measures are in place to support the provision of services in primary care for patients who experience mental health problems. For example, the Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Group was established in March 2000 to offer advice locally and to the Scottish Executive on solutions and best practice in the implementation of the Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland and the priorities in the health plan - Our National Health . Developing capacity and improving access and the range of services available to patients are major components of investment and reform in primary care, including £12 million in 2002-03 as part of a £30 million package over three years. The Primary Care Modernisation Group has recently made a number of recommendations in its report Making the Connections – Developing Best Practice into Common Practice , in relation to the management of mild to moderate mental health in primary care, which NHS boards are expected to address.

Port Authorities

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made in respect of the proposed EU Directive 2002/C 48/27 relating to port ownership and operation.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make any representations and propose any amendments to the proposed EU Directive 2002/C 48/27 and, if so, what the nature of any such amendments will be, detailing the reasons behind its position on the matter.

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will propose amendments to the proposed EU Directive 2002/C 48/27 to allow ships of a lower tonnage than that currently in the proposed directive or regional ports to be exempted from the directive’s provisions in view of the different nature of port operation in Scotland and the importance of ports to Scotland as an island community.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK government on a wide range of issues, including the proposed EU Directive on Market Access to Port Services. Since the proposal was published in February 2001, the Executive has considered the implications closely with the Department for Transport in consultation with the ports sector throughout the UK. A number of significant UK amendments reflecting concerns raised have been successfully negotiated and included in the latest draft text agreed as a common position at the Transport Council of Ministers of 17 June 2002. These amendments cover specific Scottish interests, in particular for arrangements to ensure that the directive does not prejudice the management of services at ports serving lifeline ferry routes throughout the Highlands and Islands. The Executive will continue to liaise with the UK government on the draft directive as it passes to the European Parliament for second reading, and throughout its subsequent stages.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether paragraph 49.1.1 of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock permits disclosure of confidential matters in response to enquiries from the Parliament and, if not, whether it will detail the contractual restrictions which prevent any such disclosure.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Yes, Clause 49 of the contract between SPS and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited permits, but does not require the disclosure of Confidential Matters as defined in paragraph 1.1.14. In deciding whether disclosure is appropriate, in each case account is also taken of the public interest, and of the contractor’s position regarding company commercial confidentiality at the time in question.

  Almost all of the contract has been published and is available on the internet. In addition, arrangements were made to show the Justice 1 Committee the full contract under appropriate confidentiality arrangements.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21063 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 January 2002, what the estimated annual cost is of providing night-time sanitation to those 1,905 prisoners.

Mr Jim Wallace: The cost of providing night-time sanitation is not separately identifiable from the other necessary improvements in living conditions in the prison service. The independently verified costs of improving the estate were set out in the Executive’s consultation paper of the future of the Scottish Prison Service estate, which show that the public sector whole life costs would be about double those of the private sector for the same quality of output.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26295 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 July 2002, whether it will publish the response it received from Scottish Airports Ltd.

Lewis Macdonald: As this proposal is still being considered by Scottish ministers, it would not be appropriate to publish any consultation response at this time.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26295 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 July 2002, whether, in light of the concerns expressed, it considers the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest to be a potential danger to aviation.

Lewis Macdonald: No consent will be issued unless I am convinced that the issue of air safety has been completely resolved, nor would the civil aviation authority permit an airport to operate if it did not continue to meet the most stringent safety standards.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26295 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 July 2002, which consultees, other than the National Air Traffic Services, the Civil Aviation Authority and Scottish Airports Ltd, it has met.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has also met Scottish Natural Heritage and the Meteorological Office to discuss the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forrest.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26295 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 July 2002, whether it intends to meet with consultees other than the National Air Traffic Services, the Civil Aviation Authority and Scottish Airports Ltd.

Lewis Macdonald: There are no further meetings with consultees planned at present.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26295 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 July 2002, whether it will publish a full list of consultees to whom the plans to construct a wind farm at Whitelee Forest were issued.

Lewis Macdonald: The following bodies were consulted on the proposal to build a wind farm at Whitelee Forrest:

  External

  British Telecom

  CAA Directorate of Airspace Policy

  CAA Safety Regulation Group

  Crown Estate

  Defence Communications Services Agency (RAF)

  Defence Estates (MoD)

  Department of Trade and Industry

  Health and Safety Executive

  National Air Traffic Services

  OFGEM

  Royal Fine Arts Commission for Scotland

  Scottish Environmental Protection Agency

  Scottish Natural Heritage

  Prestwick Airport

  East Ayrshire Council

  East Renfrewshire Council

  South Lanarkshire Council

  Within the Scottish Executive

  Climate Change Team

  Historic Scotland

  SEPA Team

  Waste Team

  Water Team

  Planning and Building Standards

  Road Network Management and Maintenance

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26295 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 July 2002, whether it will publish the responses it received from its consultation process on the proposed wind farm at Whitelee Forest.

Lewis Macdonald: There are no plans to publish the responses we have received.

  When Scottish ministers have arrived at a determination, we will ensure that the decision letter is placed on the Planning Register at the relevant local authorities. The letter itself will contain the main reasons and considerations on which the decision was based. Where consent has been granted, the letter will outline the measures to avoid, reduce and, where possible, offset the major adverse effects of the development.

Roads

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider using the Kelvin Valley route for the upgrading of the A80 and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Lewis Macdonald: : There are no plans to reconsider the Kelvin Valley route for any upgrading of the A80 due to the serious detrimental environmental impacts.

Roads

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what compensation it proposes to provide to residents affected by the upgrading of the A80 and what consultation exercises it has held, or proposes to hold, on the matter with affected parties.

Lewis Macdonald: : Compensation is available under the relevant statutes for qualifying interests in respect of loss of land, depreciation in the value of property and noise insulation. Discussions with affected parties can only commence once a preferred line for a road scheme has been determined.

Roads

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what appeals process will be made available to individuals or groups who may be opposed to the finalised route for the upgrading of the A80.

Lewis Macdonald: : The appeals procedure is set out in Schedule 1 to the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and the First Schedule to the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947. These cover the publication of draft compulsory purchase and line orders, the statutory periods for comment and objection, and the criteria applicable to the holding of a Public Local Inquiry.

Schools

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the announcement of the outcome of Argyll and Bute Council’s application for revenue funding for schools, initially anticipated in April 2002, will be made.

Nicol Stephen: We announced our decisions on local authority bids for revenue support for school Public Private Partnership projects on 25 June 2002. I refer the member to the answer given on that day to question S1W-27026.

Secure Units

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26764 by Cathy Jamieson on 27 June 2002, how many secure accommodation places for (a) boys and (b) girls with (i) a physical disability and (ii) mental health problems there have been in (1) 1997-98, (2) 1998-99, (3) 1999-2000, (4) 2000-01 and (5) 2001-02.

Cathy Jamieson: There are no secure places designed specifically for young people with a physical disability or who are have a clinical diagnosis of a mental health disorder. As part of the Executive’s implementation of the 10-point youth crime action plan, I am currently examining options for the re-configuration of the secure estate.

  I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26764, Table 3 of which gives the number of male and female residents on 31 March in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Places are currently not segregated with the exception of the six bed unit for girls only which has operated in Kerelaw since 2001.

Suicide

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the position of suicide as the leading cause of death of young men in Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: We are currently developing a National Framework for Prevention of Suicide and Self-Harm in Scotland. I published a consultation draft of the Framework in October 2001. A report analysing consultation responses, together with supporting materials, was published on 31 July 2002. We are now developing a final version of the framework, with a view to publishing later this year.

Suicide

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to address the suicide rates in the Western Isles and the Highlands given that they are the highest in Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: Detailed action to prevent suicide in specific parts of Scotland is a matter for the relevant NHS board. The Executive is also currently developing a National Framework for Prevention of Suicide and Self-Harm, which I plan to launch later this year. All NHS boards and local authorities will require to take account of the broad parameters of the framework, although the detailed approach for each area of the country will remain a matter for individual authorities.

Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill

Elaine Thomson (Aberdeen North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering introducing legislation to facilitate the maintenance of common paths and ground which local authorities have not adopted.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Title Conditions (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced on 6 June, will facilitate the maintenance of facilities such as amenity ground and paths within private housing estates where these have not been adopted by local authorities. Section 28 of the bill provides that where conditions in title deeds impose an obligation on owners within a community to maintain, or contribute towards the cost of maintaining, common property, then the owners of a majority of the properties will be able to decide that maintenance should be carried out, in circumstances where the title deeds of the properties do not provide a means for such decision making. Owners will also be able to instruct or carry out such maintenance. Each owner may be required to deposit a sum of money which is that owner’s apportioned share of a reasonable estimate of the cost of maintenance. For the purposes of the bill, a "community" is the collective term for those properties which are all subject to the same obligation imposed in their respective title deeds and which can also enforce it: this is sometimes known as a "common scheme".

  This is an important reform which will allow a great deal of essential maintenance work to be carried out. At present if title deeds do not specify any mechanism for decision making on having work carried out, then the common law demands that all owners should consent and unanimity is very often impossible to achieve.

  The Housing Improvement Task Force is also considering all aspects of common and shared maintenance, with a view to making property owners aware of their obligations and ensuring that effective arrangements for necessary work are in place.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Scottish Parliament Staff

Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answer to question S1W-11005 on 20 November 2000, what the breakdown now is of the gradings and level of seniority of the staff on secondment from the Scottish Executive.

Sir David Steel: The figures requested as at 24 June 2002 are set out in the table below:

  


Grade 
  

Number Of Employees 
  



8 
  

2 
  



7 
  

2 
  



6 
  

9 
  



5 
  

8 
  



4 
  

7 
  



3 
  

10 
  



2 
  

5 
  



1 
  

0

Scottish Parliament Staff

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer,  further to his answer to question S1W-10467 on 6 November 2000, how many of the Parliament’s staff are now seconded from (a) the United Kingdom civil service, (b) other public sector bodies and (c) the private sector.

Sir David Steel: The information sought as at 24 June 2002 is as follows:

  the United Kingdom Civil Service - 44 secondees, including 14 members of the Holyrood Project Team

  other public sector bodies - two secondees

  the private sector - 0 secondees